Commerce

What’s in the bag? Getting to the bottom of what drives Halloween candy sales

October 7, 2024 | By Vicki Hyman
Brightly-colored Halloween candy spread out on a table with a plastic skeleton hand reaching over the candy.

One of those moments when we realize that we are, in fact, now adults? When we’re able to make it through the checkout line at the grocery store without a lingering glance at the candy bar display.

Yet the lure of nostalgia remains potent, particularly this time of year. Research by Mastercard into candy-buying trends shows that, no matter how much out taste buds have evolved, 81% of us still buy the candy we loved as a kid, and that 56% of us still buy candy, even if we don’t expect any trick-or-treaters. (How else to explain the mysterious endurance of candy corn?)  

Still curious about candy consumption? Chew on these findings.  

Vicki Hyman, director, communications, Mastercard